This is a work of fiction. All characters portrayed in this story are fictional and representative of anyone living or dead. Copyright 2010 by robertx5sf@yahoo.com, all rights reserved, may not be reproduced in any form without the author's consent, with exception of license granted to Nifty.org per Nifty's terms of use.
Author's Note: This is my first serious effort at writing this story which has been percolating inside my brain for a few years. It is fairly light on the sex in the early chapters but picks up a bit as things develop. Although sex is not the main focus of the story. All constructive comments are appreciated but please no flames. If emailing please put something in the subject line regarding the story, as I usually delete all emails with no subject line. Thank you, robertx5sf@yahoo.com
The Squires of Telisan Keep - 1
MIKEL
Mikel stood at the edge of the valley looking down upon the castle and the small nearby town, here he thought to himself was where his destiny would be made. It was hear he would get the training to avenge his family and best friend.
The road to Telisan had been crowded but Mikel had been able to pick his way through the slower moving families and merchants easily. A chatty merchant had told him that normally only a few hundred people or so lived in town, with a couple hundred more living a mile away at the Telisan Keep, but that tomorrow there will be closer to two thousand here for the quadrennial King's Day celebrations.
Upon arriving in Telisan proper, he went to the fairgrounds and entered the Squire Games, which would be held on Mid Summer's Day, the day before King's Day. By tradition every year at the Mid Summer's Day Festival, the young noble boys of age eight and twelve would compete with each other in the Page's Tournament and the Squire's Tournament. Then that evening they would be chosen by Knights or the Lord to serve as a Page or Squire. There would also be a ceremony in the morning where those Squires that had served their Knight well for the last four years would be Knighted by the Lord. Then these new Knights would get to compete with the rest of the Knights in a Jousting Tournament. But this year was King's Day and instead of taking place on Mid Summer's Day, the tournaments would take place on King's Day, which took place every four years as sort of an extra day. The Priestesses had told Mikel that it helped to better keep the calendar matched to the seasons and was thought up by King Selarn the First. It became known as King Selarn's Day and over the centuries was shortened to King's Day.
Since the Tournaments were taking place on King's Day this year, the Mid Summer's Day festivities consisted of various games and contests for the peasant's, merchant's, and men-at-arms. The highlight of which was the competitions for peasant boys and youths called the Page Games and Squire Games. The winner of each tournament was allowed to compete in the Tournaments with the noble boys the next day and earn the chance to be picked by a Knight to become his Page or Squire. This was the only way a common boy could become a Knight without the personal intervention of the King.
The annual tournament for the Knights on Mid Summer's Day was replaced by the Lord's Tournament on King's Day. The Champion of the Lord's tournament would earn the title of Lord's Champion and have the responsibility of defending and fighting for the Lord's honor for four years until the next King's Day. The position of Lord's Champion was the highest honor a landless Knight could obtain. Also, the Lord's Champion could compete in tournaments held by Dukes and the King. Success there and a Knight could earn a grant of land and the title of Lord from a Duke or the King.
After entering his name on the list for competing in the Squire Games, Mikel wandered the fairgrounds taking in the sights. His stomach growled as he smelt the aroma of roasting pig coming from one of the open air taverns that had been set up. He stood staring at the roasting pig when he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Excuse me lad, could you grant this humble musician a few moments of your time?"
Mikal looked back to see a handsome young man, perhaps twenty years old. By his dress and the lute across his back, he was a minstrel. He had shoulder length brown hair and piercing blue eyes that made Mikel feel that the man was looking into his soul. "The name's Durren," said the young man. "I'm a traveling bard and I am working on composing a song about boys competing in the Squire Games. I notice you signed up for them and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions over lunch and a beer, my treat," he explained as he guided Mikal towards the tavern. The offer of food and a drink were more than enough to win Mikal's favor.
The tavern was nothing more than rows of tables under a large tent where you could get some food and a cheap beer or ale from a hastily constructed tap house. Durren bought Mikel a beer and a plate of roast pork. After the hungry youth had finished the meat and was starting to savor the beer, the bard started in on the questions.
"Did you compete in the Page's Games four years ago?" he asked. "No," replied Mikel. "Why Not?" "My folks needed me to work at the farm and didn't let me come." "And they let you come this year?" "No, they were killed two years ago by orcs. The farm we worked was near the swamp and one night an orc raiding party slipped past the Lord's patrols and attacked," explained Mikel, doing his best to keep the pain of the memories bottled up.
"How did you survive?" asked Durrin. "One of the horses was due to birth, so I was sleeping in the stable to keep an eye on it. When the orcs attacked I hid." A tear started to leak out but Mikel brushed it away. He started to say more but stopped.
"Where have you been living since then?" asked Durrin hoping to prompt the boy to continue on a less painful subject. "With the Priestesses of the Temple of the Harvest. They didn't approve of me coming to the Games and wanted me to stay and serve their order. They told me if I left for the Games I could never come back. So if I don't win..." said Mikel as he fought to retain his composure.
Durrin got up and quickly made his way around the table sliding into the seat next to the boy. He wrapped his arm around him pulled him tight. "Don't worry boy, just try your best and never give up. I am sure a fine young man such as you will land on his feet no matter happens. Now relax and enjoy the fair!"
After they finished their beers, Durren invited the boy to spend the night with him at the Inn, where Durrin was going to be performing. It would give him a place to get a good night's sleep before the Squire Games as well as a proper supper. Mikel thanked the bard and told him that he would see him at the inn that evening. Mikel spend the rest of the afternoon hiking up to Telisan Keep, the castle that watched over the town from a hilltop about a mile away.
Later that evening at the inn back in town Mikel ate dinner and had a glass of wine with Durrin. After they had finished, the bard was pressed into service by the innkeeper. Durrin sang while accompanying himself on a lute. During his breaks he would sit by Mikel, drinking some more wine and answering the boy's questions. He told him of meeting Lord Velarik and how the Lord was a very good man with a kind heart. The boy asked if any of the Knights would be willing to pick a commoner for a Squire, his voice fraught with worry. Durrin told him to concentrate on winning the Squire Games before worrying about impressing a Knight and that if he were to win the Squire Games he would certainly capture the fancy of one of the Knights for he had certainly captured his.
Mikel eventually fell asleep in his chair by the fire while Durrin sang for the crowd. After he was done singing for the night he picked up the boy and carried him to his room. Mikel stirred a little as the minstrel laid him on the bed and climbed in next to him. He felt Durrin stroke his hair and thought he heard him whispering something into his ear but in his dreamlike state he could not quite make out the words.
As sleep reclaimed him he dreamt of the night his family was killed. He had told Durrin about being in the stable, but what he had held back was that he was there with another boy, Wilric, another ten year old boy from the neighboring farm. Wilric had come to keep Mikel company that night. The boys were best friends and whenever they got the chance, they liked to sneak off together and pretend they were a couple. Having been raised in large single room houses, the boys were used to seeing their parents coupling. The boys very much enjoyed imitating what they had seen.
This dream felt different to Mikel from other dreams. He was looking upon it as if watching strangers in a play. He saw himself lying under Wilric as the two boys rubbed their crotches against each other. The two boys looked similar even to Mikel's eyes, the main difference was Wilric was a few pounds heavier with slightly lighter hair, a dark brown to Mikel's black. As Wilric was approaching a dry climax the door to the stables slammed open. Wilric jumped up as Mikel, thinking it was his father or one of his older brothers, sat and covered himself with his hands. He looked at the door and was shocked to see a pair of orcs lit by the moon. Panic gripped Mikel and he scooted backwards through the hay. His mind raced, 'Don't see me, don't notice me, I'm not here.' Wilric bolted towards the door trying to race past the orcs to freedom. The orcs were not surprised though and the one on the right quickly lashed out, striking the boy in the head and knocking him out. He then reached down and picked up the limp boy. The other orc walked through the stable peering around and Mikel froze as the orc seemed to look directly at him for a moment before moving on. The two orcs spoke to each other in a language Mikel did not understand and then left.
As the dream ended, Mikel became aware of the room coming into focus, for a brief second he thought he could see an image in the mirror across from the bed. It looked like the backs of the two orcs, one carrying Wilric, as they left the barn. But before he could be sure of what he saw he felt Durrin's hand stroking his hair again, this time he recognized the word the bard whispered into his ear, "sleep".
When Mikel woke up the next morning on Mid Summer's Day, Durren was gone. He had left a note, suddenly Mikel was grateful that the priestesses had be so insistent that he learn to read. "Mikel, I am sorry that I had to leave without saying goodbye. Duty calls and I must answer. Unfortunately my song will have to wait. I hope our paths will cross again. There is breakfast on the table. Good luck in the games, trust your instincts, DO NOT GIVE UP NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS and everything will work out as the Gods have planned, but it never hurts to ask The Gambler for a bit of his luck! -Durren"